CONVENTION THOUGHTS, MEMBER COVERAGE UPDATES
By Paul Mitchell, F165576, National President
May-June 2026
Lisa and I just finished what I consider one of the best Family RV Association Conventions in Perry, Georgia. We thought last year was great, but this year the Perry convention exceeded all expectations. With over 1,000 RVs and 2,000 members, along with over 200 vendors in the Miller-Murphy-Howard building and the RV There Yet? Discovery Zone in the Georgia Grown building, there was always something exciting to do.
We pioneered the concept of the “Learning Zone” at this convention. We had over 30 free educational seminars geared toward future RV owners, new RV owners, and even those of us who have owned RVs longer than we might want to admit. The seminars were extremely popular, many with standing-room-only attendance. Our plan is to continue to expand this free RV education at future conventions. The seminar topics included “All About Tires,” “Artificial Intelligence (AI),” “Emergency Go Bags,” “Everything Batteries,” “Electrical Troubleshooting Tips,” “Sources for Parts & Service.” and “FRVA Website Review,” just to name a few. All classes were given by FRVA members volunteering their time and experience. We have some very talented members, and Glenda Milner and the Education Committee did a fantastic job putting everything together with the help of the RV Basics Alumni Chapter.
I can’t say enough about our dedicated Cincinnati staff. They were everywhere during the convention, from answering questions first thing in the morning to distributing beach balls to the crowd during the Jimmy Buffett tribute show. If you want to see a crowd of adults revert to their childhood, just throw a bunch of beach balls into the air and watch what happens. I heard many comments that the entertainment during “Changes In Latitudes – RV Beach Party” was the best FRVA has had in years.
Our contract with Arch Insurance for the Medical and Travel Assist program was up for renewal in March. This offered us the chance to “right size” this important benefit for our members. We looked at past claims to determine what features are being used the most so we can continue to provide support for our members. With the new contract, effective April 1, 2026, the FRVA Medical and Travel Assist program will continue to be our premier benefit and something our members can count on for years to come.
Here are the most significant updates to the program:
- Members are covered anywhere in North America – the United States, Canada and Mexico.
- Members are covered for up to $50,000 in medical evacuation and repatriation costs.
- Members are covered while traveling in any vehicle or recreation vehicle that they own.
- Members are covered while traveling in vehicles they rent in North America.
During the past 12 months, our members have received more than $500,000 in reimbursements from the FRVA Medical and Travel Assist program.
Lisa and I are looking forward to enjoying the Sedalia, Missouri, convention with everyone this summer and attending as many of the area rallies spread across the country as we can. As the Premier RV Association, we are moving in the right direction. Remember, “Just Keep On Having Fun.”
GOODBYES AND HELLOS
Doug Uhlenbrock, Executive Director
As I write this, it’s been exactly one week since we dropped the curtain on Family RV Association’s “Changes In Latitudes – RV Beach Party” convention at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry, Georgia. Judging by the big smiles and all the chatter on the “Coconut Telegraph” following each night’s entertainment, it appears folks had a great time during their stay at FRVA’s own little version of Margaritaville.
Thanks to everyone who made the trip to Perry for this spring fling. A special shout-out to our exhibitors who filled the halls with products and services, along with the manufacturers and dealers who brought an incredible display of motorized and towable RVs for attendees to check out.
Much gratitude as well to all of our volunteers who put in hundreds of hours helping to make the experience better for all attendees. From signs and setup to parking to Info Center assistance — and everything in between — these dedicated men and women truly make it possible to hold an event of this size.
The conclusion of the event was bittersweet for me, as it marked my last hurrah as ringmaster for FRVA conventions, which I have been lucky enough to oversee since 2017. Just a couple of weeks before heading south, we welcomed Jack O’Reilly Tanner as the new events director of FRVA. He received a two-week, on-the-job crash course on how to plan, produce, and execute a convention, which will come in handy as he puts together his first event this summer, the “250 Years of Red, White & Blue” convention, July 1-4, 2026, at the Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia, Missouri.
What better way for FRVA members to celebrate the country’s founding 250 years ago than to gather as one for a week’s worth of RVing fun, ending with a huge fireworks show on the night of July 4. Expect all of the usual activities you’ve come to love during these events — exhibitors, seminars, entertainment, social get-togethers — plus many more surprises. And just when you think the party’s over, we roll right into the Midwest Area Rally, themed “RVing In The Heartland,” July 5-6, for more social activities, games, and good times.
To register, visit FRVA.com; click the Events tab; hover over “250 Years of Red, White & Blue”; and click “Register.” You can also give us a call at (800) 543-3622 or cut out and mail in the registration form on page 31 of this issue of the magazine. Uncle Sam “Wants You” to be part of FRVA’s July 4 party in Sedalia, Missouri, so sign up today and make plans for a blow-out red, white, and blue celebration.
TIME TO GROW
Our greatest challenge as an RV organization is to grow membership. FRVA’s numbers have been in decline for several years now as efforts to attract new RVers to the fold have come and gone with varying levels of success. As the new executive director, it’s my job to work with the Executive Board and staff to develop a blueprint to retain the members we have while bringing fresh faces to the association. To do this, we must rely on all of our marketing resources to let folks know what we have to offer the RVer.
Back in the early 1960s when Family Motor Coach Association was just getting started, the only marketing we had was done by our members. As members of this new association ran into other motorhome owners during their travels, they enthusiastically told them about what the organization had to offer and how to join. . . true grassroots recruiting that resulted in the steady growth of the organization into one of the largest RV groups in the world.
During the Perry convention, Rocky Mountain Area President Wayne Cernie introduced attendees to a program he’s put together that will once again utilize our best marketing resource — current members — to help introduce other RVers to what Family RV Association is all about.
According to Wayne, the FRVA Ambassador Program is designed to “empower our current members to actively engage with prospective members by showcasing both the benefits and the fun of being part of FRVA. The focus is on real conversations, real experiences, and giving our members the tools to confidently tell the FRVA story.”
During Wayne’s inaugural Ambassador training program in Perry, participants received information about the impact of chapters; details about the key benefits that resonate with prospective members; the value of Family RVing magazine; and the importance of relating to other RVers through personal stories and experiences that bring FRVA to life.
The key to making this work, Wayne believes, is that Ambassadors should engage prospective members in natural conversation, sharing their enthusiasm for FRVA while offering personal experiences that highlight what the association has meant to them.
Following the training, each Ambassador left with a recruiting kit that included copies of Family RVing magazines; chapter brochures; FRVA member benefits guides; and a thumb drive containing digital versions of the brochures and other promotional materials, along with an Ambassador button to wear to help spark conversations and interest. Wayne and his team will follow up with participants over the next few months to answer questions and provide support. The goal is for each participant to recruit one new member by the time of the Sedalia convention in July.
“I believe this program gives us a practical, scalable way to grow membership using the strength of our member base, and I’m excited to see how it develops,” Wayne said. “In the future, we plan to hold Teams meetings for members who think they would like to be in our program and share the value of FRVA membership.”
Look for more information about the FRVA Ambassador program in the coming months as Wayne and his group continue to build their training sessions and welcome enthusiastic individuals to our member-based marketing machine. If you would like to get involved immediately, contact Wayne by email: wcernie@frva.com.
Enjoy the spring travel season and stay safe on the roads.
FRVA Medical & Travel Assist in Action
OUR MEDICAL & TRAVEL ASSIST STORY
Wonderful Help
My husband, Bob, had a stroke on October 6, 2025, while we were at The Pines of Kabetogama Resort in Kabetogama, Minnesota. The local emergency medical technicians transported him to International Falls, about 28 miles away. He was then airlifted to Duluth, where he died on October 8.
That left me with a Ram 2500 pickup and a Brinkley Z3100 fifth wheel to get back home to Texas.
The people at Family RV Association’s Medical & Travel Assist program helped so much in making arrangements to get everything back home. The insurance coverage has been so helpful with costs related to what happened.
I will be a long-term advocate for Family RV Association and the services that the Medical & Travel Assist program provided me at such a devastating time.
– Kathy McCleskey, F492744 • Liberty Hill, Texas
Since October 1, 2020, the Medical & Travel Assist benefit has helped over 700 FRVA members with claims totaling over $2.5 million.
Have a Medical & Travel Assist story to share? Send it to us at magazine@frva.com.
To learn more about the coverages provided by this plan, visit FRVA.com/medical-and-travel-assist.
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING NOTICE
The annual membership meeting of the Family RV Association will take place on Friday,
July 3, 2026, during the 113th International Convention &RV Expo in Sedalia, Missouri.
THE MISSION OF FAMILY RV ASSOCIATION
is to educate, support, and encourage family and social RV lifestyles.